Diet is the #1 Thing to Change if You Have Prediabetes. It Will Help You Prevent Actual Diabetes!

The DPP Diet and Coaching for Prediabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, have developed a program with diet and lifestyle changes that has been shown among prediabetes patients to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by over 50%. This program is the Diabetes Prevention Program, or DPP.

Each DPP program includes a year-long lifestyle change curriculum delivered via lessons put together by the CDC. Lesson topics include nutrition, physical activity, managing stress, and fitting your healthy choices into your and your family’s lifestyle.

You can find an in-person DPP program to attend, or see whether you are eligible for a digital program. Lark Health Coach, for example, is a CDC DPP program that delivers the program via your smartphone, on your time. Lark also helps with tracking weight, food, and exercise, and customizes the program according to preferences such as low-carb, gluten-free, or vegan.

Lark’s prediabetes diet recommendations are consistent with the DPP and include recommendations based off evidence from diets such as the DASH diet and Mediterranean patterns. Your Lark coach, for example, might suggest:

Sugar-sweetened foods, such as flavored yogurt and oatmeal, and sugary condiments

Dried fruit and fruit juice

Cons

Is less focused on counting calories and grams of carbohydrate, fat, and protein grams – some people prefer to count.

Is not a prescriptive meal plan, so users must decide what to eat rather than expecting to be told what to have at each meal and snack (but you can use the meal plan on this page as a model!).

Sample Diet Plans for Prediabetes

The prediabetes diet plans below are designed to help you lose weight, improve your blood sugar control and overall health, and be easy to follow. Each plan has about 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day. If you need more, you can add in one or more of the healthy snack options listed below the menus. There is are one-week menus for a low-carb ketogenic diet and for a balanced, DPP-based prediabetes diet, and snacks listed for both types of diets.

Balanced DPP Recipes

Oatmeal Pancakes

Let the oats soak in the milk for 20 minutes. Blend in the other ingredients. Pour in spoonfuls onto a heated griddle with cooking spray, and turn over when edges bubble. Serve warm.

Quinoa Salad

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa cooked in low-sodium broth

½ onion, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 cup low-sodium canned black or kidney beans

1 tablespoon of lime juice

4 ounces of cheddar or jack cheese

½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup of mango or kiwi in pieces

Directions

Combine all ingredients and let sit together until time to serve.

Shepherd’s Pie

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 lb. peeled and cooked sweet potato

¼ milk

Dash nutmeg

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 diced onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 lb. ready to use textured vegetable protein (TVP) or soy crumbles)

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

12 oz. thawed frozen peas and carrots

Directions

Blend the sweet potato with milk, nutmeg, and cheese. Separately, cook the onions and garlic in a pan with the olive. Mix in the TVP, broth, and vegetables, and spread on a pan. Top with the sweet potato mixture, and bake at 425 degrees until set, about 20 minutes.